San Francisco 49ers cornerback Tarell Brown, right, intercepts a pass intended for St. Louis Rams' Kellen Clemens, left, during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

Photo: Seth Perlman, Associated Press

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Tarell Brown, right, intercepts a...

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ST. LOUIS, MO - JANUARY 1: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sideline against St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on January 1, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri. The 49ers beat the Rams 34-27. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

As a quarterback, Jim Harbaugh refused to bury his teammates. Even as he kept getting buried while dropping back behind a past-its-prime offensive line.

In 1993, Harbaugh was sacked 43 times, the second most in the NFL, for a Bears team that finished 7-9. Despite the battering, Harbaugh had the backs of the men up front who often failed to protect his.

Instead of criticism, Harbaugh, the human piñata, had gifts spilling out of him. He gave his linemen Rolex watches near the end of the season. Inscribed on the back was "Thanks. No. 4."

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone stand taller through the abuse, physically, that he received," former Bears wide receiver Tom Waddle said in a recent phone interview. "He never broke bad on his offensive line. Never had a bad word for them. Never got in the press. Never called anyone out. Just took it.

"Was one of 11 guys in that huddle. He showed great character and great toughness because he just got his ass kicked for 16 games."

Nearly two decades later, Harbaugh has traded his uniform for a whistle but hasn't changed his philosophy. In his first season as the 49ers' head coach, Harbaugh has a 13-3 record and remains perfect in one category: He has yet to criticize a player, even subtly, through the media.

The effect of Harbaugh's refusal to publicly pinpoint his players' shortcomings can't be quantified. The 49ers say it's an intangible that has fostered team unity and made them more willing to crash through concrete for a coach who takes the pressure off them.

Safety Donte Whitner said it's a welcome change after playing for Buffalo's Chan Gailey last year. Gailey, he said, routinely assigned blame to the Bills during their 4-12 season.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan, Whitner said, "will never throw his players under the bus, and he puts all the pressure on himself. Coach Harbaugh does the same thing.

"A lot of coaches, when they don't want the pressure on them, don't want the hands pointed at them or the media to turn on them, they put things out to the media that really shouldn't be out there. 'Oh, this guy should have made this play or he should have done this.' That stuff never works, and players really understand that and locker rooms understand that."

Said left tackle Joe Staley: "That's just the type of guy coach Harbaugh is. He is all about the team and building up the players and the locker room."

Harbaugh's mantra - "The team, the team, the team" - means outsiders count as the enemy. And a reporter's place is obvious in the us-against-them worldview.

Members of the media immediately began to grasp Harbaugh's team-above-all-else philosophy this season. A day after San Francisco's first preseason game, a 24-3 loss at New Orleans in which the 49ers allowed six first-half sacks, he was asked what he considered to be a leading question about the poor play of an offensive line that, well, played poorly.

Harbaugh's response: "I don't agree that they didn't play very well."

That quote was bookended last week when he was queried about some late-game secondary shortcomings following a 34-27 win at St. Louis. Harbaugh ignored the question and used his platform to praise a player instead: "Let's note the two great interceptions by (Tarell) T. Brown. They were fantastic plays by him."

Harbaugh said, "I'll leave that to you guys," when asked about his refusal to call out his players. "... I don't see the benefit of telling the media, and have (players) read about it, when they're already hearing about it from us."

The player on whom Harbaugh has lavished the most praise is Alex Smith, a quarterback, he noted during the lockout, who had been "thrown under the bus by his own team more than once."

Former 49ers head coach Mike Nolan openly questioned Smith's toughness when he was playing with a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery. Mike Singletary famously referred to Smith as "meek." In contrast, Harbaugh counts Smith as one of his "mighty men" - the term he uses endlessly for his players - and also has attached words such as "elite" and "Pro Bowl" to his quarterback's name.

Waddle was reminded of his old teammate's loyalty this season when he saw Harbaugh defending Smith during a televised news conference following a win over the Giants.

"He was talking about Alex Smith being called a game manager and how he bristled at that representation," Waddle said. "I just kind of smiled. You recognize what he's doing is what endears him to that team. He's protecting his guys."

Nearly two decades ago, Harbaugh offered the same protection, along with Rolex watches.

The 49ers didn't get jewelry from their head coach this season, but they still received quite a gift.